Monthly Archives: November 2010

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The beat goes on at Duarte High School where boys basketball coach Wil White called this morning to say he was fired, disputing principal Eric Barba’s assertion that he quit. White’s credentials are strong, he was head women’s coach at East L.A. College, San Bernardino College and coached the boys basketball team at Blair prior to joining the Falcons last year, where they won three games, which actually was an improvement from previous years. White was about to begin his second season in a couple weeks, but according to White, he had a disagreement with principal Eric Barba and the two parted ways. “I just want people to know that coach White didn’t walk out, I love the kids, I love the community, and I am confident we were getting close to turning the corner. Without going into everything, I was let go and not happy with the reasons or the way he (Barba) spoke with me. I spend way too much money taking these kids around and putting in my time to be demeaned for a $1,500 stipend. I felt I had to put that out there.”Principal Barba sent an email in response. I won’t share all of it, but his message was clear. Here it is.Wil White was called in Friday, November 5th to discuss an issue. Within 5 minutes of the meeting he took his school keys off his key chain and put them on my desk mumbling nonsense. I have no doubt he cares for the young men on the team but you can’t quit on your team weeks before the season starts. We had to quickly come up with plan B coaching wise. Luckily we had several great applicants last year. We will announce a new coach soon. Had Wil White called me or the athletic director that first weekend after he quit we would have been able to work something out. No one wants to replace a coach this close to the start of the season.

Breaking News: The Azusa Pacific University football team, which was 6-3 in the regular season, received an at-large bid to NAIA championship tournament and will face No. 2 seed Carroll, of Helena, Mont. The Cougars are in the postseason for the first since 2005.CCCAA: The SoCal Regional brackets are out, and Mt. SAC, as expected, received the No. 1 seed. The Mounties will host No. 4 seed Bakersfield, which it defeated earlier this season, in the National Bowl at Hilmer Lodge Stadium on Saturday at 6 p.m. Cerritos is the No. 3 seed, and will travel to No. 2 Saddleback in the Southern California Bowl. The winners meet on Nov. 27 for the SoCal Regional finals, with the CCCAA championship game scheduled for Dec. 11 at the regional champion.

You can access the CIF-SS playoff brackets on the Section website during the following times listed below Sunday. I will post the brackets later that afternoon, but between now and then, discuss it all you want. Who gets the four Mid-Valley wild card berths? How far will Bishop Amat fall and will they get a first round home game, which is a 50-50 proposition now? With so many fans on pins and needles, remember what the Guru predicted in his mock draft. He had the Amat-Alemany loser facing the Santa Margarita-Mater Dei winner in the first round. Santa Margarita won 17-7. Guess we’ll find out if he’s right tomorrow. Where will they send Charter Oak? Did Bonita do enough to give the Hacienda two top four seeds along with giant West Covina? And for our own silly purposes, is there a new No. 1 in Tuesday’s final regular season Trib poll?

Sunday’s pairings times
At large: The at-large wild card berths for all divisions posted at 10 a.m.

Bishop Amat game story: In the final moments of Alemany’s 38-30 Serra League-clinching victory over Bishop Amat on Friday, Lancers receiver Wallace Gonzalez looked up and down the sideline and told everyone to come back with motivation on Monday.
The Lancers need it, their undefeated record gone, their possible top-four seed in Sunday’s Pac-5 Division draw gone, and possibly a home game in the first round of next week’s playoffs as well – all perks that belong to the Warriors, who won the battle of the unbeatens to improve to 10-0 and 5-0. (to continue click thread)

Tonight’s scoresAlemany 38, Bishop Amat 30 – The Lancers led 17-14 after scoring with 50 seconds left in the first half, but Alemany scored TWICE in the final 44 seconds to take a 28-17 lead at the break and never trailed again. Jalen Moore rushed for 111 yards and four TDs, but the Lancers’ hopes of an undefeated season came crashing down in Mission Hills. Bishop Amat’s defense, which has been a rock this season, was unable to contain Alemany.Charter Oak 34, South Hills 31, OT – Travis Santiago passed for 285 yards, including some big completions to Dennis Rufus in the fourth quarter to setup Kurt Scoby’s winning TD in overtime. The Chargers, with the Sierra League’s tie-breaker system, lost the tiebreaker to Claremont for second, but held the head-to-head advantage against Damien, to get the league’s final playoff spot.Damien 31, Claremont 27 – Damien rallied to defeat Claremont and finished in a three-way tie for second with the Wolfpack and Charter Oak, but lost a series of tiebreakers.West Covina 58, Diamond Bar 20 – The Bulldogs look ready for a postseason run after another convincing win.Bonita 38, Diamond Ranch 10 – Did the Bearcats earn a top-four seed in the Southeast Division? I guess we find out Sunday.Walnut 35, Los Altos 14 – Walnut earns a playoff bid with the victory.Rosemead 42, El Monte 29 – Ground Koffler was too much for the Lions. Rosemead clinched a playoff spot with the win.Gabrielino 28, South El Monte 13 – Gabrielino wins the battle of the Eagles.Arroyo 42, Mountain View 24 – The Knights complete their run through the Mission Valley. Playoffs are next.Azusa 42, Gladstone 0 – The Aztecs complete an undefeated regular season. Can they go 14-0?Baldwin Park 45, Northview 14 – The Braves clinch second place and a playoff bid with the win, while also ending Northview’s season. The game also effected San Dimas, which will not need to receive an at-large bid to the Mid-Valley playoffs. Will they get it?

The Inland Insider was at Chino Hills’ win over Ayala. Let’s hope QB Caleb Carrillo is alright. He was injured and taken away by helicopter. When we learn more, we will share it with you.

Tonight’s resultsRancho Cucamonga 42, Glendora 28 – The Tartans jumped to a 21-7 lead but couldn’t hold on, falling to the Baseline League champs to end their season.San Dimas 49, Wilson 9 — The Saints rebounded from last week’s stinging loss to Covina. If Baldwin Park beats Northview Friday the Saints finish third, but they surely have the resume to earn one of the four Mid-Valley playoff berths.Chino Hills 36, Ayala 8 — The Huskies wrap-up at least a share of the Sierra League title in a game that was delayed after Bulldogs quarterback Caleb Carrillo was injured. A helicopter was summoned and the game resumed later. Let’s pray he’s ok.

SATURDAY’S QUARTERFINAL SCHEDULE
Division 2AA
Riverside Poly at Chino Hills, 7 p.m.
South Torrance at St. Lucy’s, 7 p.m.Division 2A
Diamond Bar at Troy, 7 p.m.
Bonita at Palm Springs, 7 p.m.Division 3A
San Dimas at Windward, 7 p.m.Note: If you plan on attending I suggest you check with the school’s for game time. All schools are supposed to play at 7 p.m., but if the schools agree to switch the times, they can.

It’s down the Fabulous Five for the area girls volleyball teams as Bonita, St. Lucy’s, Chino Hills, San Dimas and Diamond Bar — yes the Brahmas — all advanced to the quarterfinals. Northview, Walnut, Azusa and Los Altos saw their season’s end.
Here’s a brief rundown of Thursday’s results:

DIVISION 2AA
St. Lucy’s 3, St. Joseph/Lakewood 1 — Alissa Young had 15 kills and Jasmine Warmington 13 and the visiting Regents advanced to the quarterfinals for the third consecutive season by beating the Jesters, 25-17, 24-26, 25-17, 25-18. St. Lucy’s improved to 26-9 and will face either Tesoro or South Torrance in the quarterfinals. Arianna Sifuentes also had 25 digs, with Megan Callen getting six blocks for the Regents.Chino Hills 3, Santiago/Corona 0 – Carly Shockey had 11 kills and four aces to lead the visiting Huskies to a 25-20, 25-22, 25-19 victory. Chino Hills, the No. 4 seed, also received eight kills from Katie Morley and 18 digs from Heather Trueman to improve to 28-4. The Huskies will face either Riverside Poly or El Segundo on Saturday.DIVISION 2A
Bonita 3, La Habra 0 – Bonita High School, hoping to win its first CIF-Southern Section girls volleyball title after losing in the finals last season, got off to a solid start on Thursday. Outside hitter Katie Kirby had 15 kills and Victoria Dennis had 12 and the host Bearcats opened the Division 2A playoffs by cruising to a 25-11, 25-20, 25-9 victory over La Habra in a second-round match. Bonita, which had a first-round bye, won for the 11th time in 12 matches and improved to 22-4. The Bearcats travel to Palm Springs in Saturday’s quarterfinals.
Ashley Maxfeldt also had 33 assists and three aces for No. 2-seeded Bonita, which went undefeated in winning the Hacienda League. Bonita, also getting four blocks from Dennis, lost to league rival Los Altos in the 3AA finals last season.Diamond Bar 3, Burroughs 0 – Kathleen Torres had 18 kills and Rachel Scott seven blocks as the host Brahmas advanced to the quarterfinals with a 25-21, 25-17, 25-23 victory. Diamond Bar (14-9), also getting four aces from Eyanna Shubin, will travel to top-seeded Troy on Saturday. Burroughs finished 13-9.Whittier Chr. 3, Los Altos 1 — Hannah Nabbout had 18 kills and 11 digs and the Heralds ended the host Conquerors’ season. Los Altos, which won its first CIF-SS title last year by beating Bonita, finished 18-6.Downey 3, Walnut 2 – Heather Schnars had 18 kills and Makayla Taylor had 14 and the visiting Vikings rallied to beat the Mustangs, 23-25, 25-15, 15-25, 25-23, 15-2. Walnut finished 13-13.DIVISION 3ASan Dimas 3, La Quinta/Westminster 1 — Kaileen Mejia and Yamani Wallace had seven blocks each and the No. 2 seeded Saints reached the quarterfinals for the third consecutive year by rallying for a 21-25, 25-19, 25-9, 25-21 victory over the host Aztecs. San Dimas (22-4) will face either Winward or Arrowhead Christian in Saturday’s quarterfinals.DIVISION 4A
Fairmont Prep 3, Azusa 0 — Payel Patel had nine kills and the host Huskies beat the Aztecs, 25-21, 25-14, 25-17. Azusa finished 16-3.

“That receiver is just a monster, and the quarterback has a cannon for an arm. He’s got one of the strongest arms I’ve seen, and (Gonzalez), even if we have good coverage on him, he can still catch the ball, and that’s a little scary.” — Alemany coach Dean Herrington on Bishop Amat QB Rio Ruiz and WR Wallace Gonzalez.

Friday’s resultsLa Puente 63, Duarte 0 — Except for the loss to Azusa, the Warriors have been fantastic. Looking forward to finding out how the Montview duo fares in the playoffs.Sierra Vista 3, Bassett 0 — At the end of the day, the Dons have a respectable 7-3 overall record. But it probably won’t be good enough to get them to the postseason.Pomona 42, Nogales 19 – The Devils finished strong, and remember how well they played against San Dimas and Covina.Ganesha 53, Workman 35 — If you enjoy a shootout, this was for you. Giants have something to build on for 2011.

I can’t thank Tom Kiss, AKA, the Inland Insider enough for all his video’s this year. His coverage of football, cross country and the way he wraps it all together has been a huge addition to the blog, allowing you to get to know the athletes you cheer for a little better. But you know, I’m starting to wonder if he’s got a real job because he dropped by on signing day and spoke with nearly everyone, bringing another new feature that we’re happy to share, a behind-the-scenes look at signing day with interviews. All joking aside, thanks again Tom.

By Fred J. Robledo, Staff Writer
It was after their freshman year when Los Altos High School’s Courtney Gano and Diamond Bar’s Stephany La Rosa gave verbal commitments to the University of Washington and UCLA, respectively, and accepted full softball scholarships.
On Wednesday they were part of an enormous senior class in the East San Gabriel Valley that signed national letters of intent on the first day of the early signing period for all sports except football, boys and girls soccer and boys water polo. At least 34 area athletes signed on the dotted line, including 11 in baseball and eight in girls volleyball, marking one of the largest signing groups in recent memory. (To continue click thread)

At least 33 area athletes signing national letters of intent this afternoon and most showed for our group picture which will run in Thursday’s front page in Sports. If you have a shot at school that you would like to share you can email it to me at fred.robledo@sgvn.com and I will post it on the blog. Also, the Inland Insider stopped by and did tons of video interviews that he will share later tonight, you’re going to love it. Congrats to all the signees.

By Aram Tolegian, Staff Writer
Saturday mornings are not an easy proposition for Bishop Amat linemen Christian Orduno and Julian Gener. Instead of springing out of bed like the teenagers they are, both struggle like senior citizens. The night before, you could find them banging heads in the trenches, pulling double duty on offense and defense, and most importantly paving the way for Amat to remain unbeaten. (To continue, click thread

Above: Bishop Amat’s Christian Orduno (left) and Julian Gener (right) are a huge reason why the Lancers are 9-0 and playing Alemany for the Serra League title on Friday.Continue reading →

The Scouting Guru has been all over the San Gabriel Valley and beyond, and like always, he’s offered to share his thoughts, free of charge. Don’t hate, enjoy it for what it’s worth, which is one man’s opinion on the talent in the San Gabriel Valley. Today the Guru talks Bracketology. The Guru shared this with us last year and was pretty darn close.

Guru says: Today we will take a look at the Southwest Division and break it down. But first, I have to admit, I made a mistake yesterday when I projected the Inland Division. One of the bloggers was absolutely correct. You can’t seed two teams in the same league in the same bracket. It’s my fault… maybe I have been hanging around the San Fernando Valley too much. (To continue, click thread)

La Puente waited a year for redemption. Instead, it was just another heartache for the Warriors.
Hope Searcy had 15 kills and Kaylene Burkhart had 13, and California City ousted Montview League champion La Puente with a 25-20, 17-25, 25-15, 29-27 victory over the Warriors in a CIF-Southern Section Division 4A first- round match Tuesday.
The visiting Ravens, who had to withstand an 8-0 blitz by La Puente in the fourth game, improved to 15-11 and will face either Santa Clara or Milken Community in the second round Thursday.
The Warriors, getting 14 kills from Elisa Valenzuela and 11 from Rocio Armendariz, finished 17-7. They lost in the second round for the second consecutive season.
“It’s very disappointing for our seniors,” said La Puente coach Daniel Krawiec, whose Warriors were ranked No. 6 in the final Division 4A poll.
“We were looking to go pretty far this year, but like I talked to them before, ‘It’s mental. Can you hang in there?’ ”

The Scouting Guru has been all over the San Gabriel Valley and beyond, and like always, he’s offered to share his thoughts, free of charge. Don’t hate, enjoy it for what it’s worth, which is one man’s opinion on the talent in the San Gabriel Valley. Today the Guru talks Bracketology. The Guru shared this with us last year and was pretty darn close.

From the Guru: OK, it’s time for Dr. Bracketology to put his pencils, pens and paper to work for you and get you up to snuff as we head into week 10 of the high school football season. Today I will concentrate on the Pac-5 and Inland DIvision. Tomorrow, I will try to put together a Southeast and Mid-Valley bracket for you. The CIF-Southern Section will announce its playoff pairings on Sunday.For a breakdown of the Pac-5 and Inland and how it might shake out for Sunday’s draw, click the thread and enjoy.

1. Bishop Amat (9-0) — The Lancers can solidify a top-four Pac-5 playoff seed with a win over undefeated Alemany (9-0) for the Serra League title on Friday. The Lancers are looking to start 10-0 for the first time since 1994.2. West Covina (8-1) — The Bulldogs have done so much to solidify No. 1 in the Southeast you wonder if they might stumble in the finale against Diamond Bar. Don’t get caught watching the paint dry. If you don’t believe me, see Covina.3. Chino Hills (7-2) — The Huskies will likely finish in a tie for first with Claremont, but the Wolfpack get the top seed from the league because of its head-to-head victory. But since the Huskies’ loss to Claremont, they have proven to be the best in league and have the best shot at a deep Inland playoff run.4. Covina (9-1) — Two thrilling fourth-quarter comebacks over West Covina and San Dimas has the Colts No. 4 — their highest ranking since the 2006 season. I don’t know if they’re this good, but on paper they deserve to be here.5. Bonita (8-1) – After Bonita crushed Rowland, I wondered if the West Covina loss was an aberration. We will find how just how good they’re at home against Diamond Ranch on Friday.6. Claremont (7-2) — The Wolfpack’s stinging loss to West Covina won’t cost them the league title unless they lose again to Damien, which would throw the Sierra League playoff picture into a mess. If that happens, we have some sorting out to do on Friday. If Claremont wins, they’re the league No. 1. If they lose, it’s possible they could fall out of the playoffs entirely.7. Azusa (9-0) — From a numbers standpoint it’s staggering. The Aztecs only have allowed 30 points in nine games. That’s so good I’m going to write it again: They’ve only allowed 30 points in nine games.8. Arroyo (8-1) – The Mission Valley league champs will finish 9-0 and likely grab the No. 3 seed in the Mid-Valley Division if the current rankings stay true to form. Are the Knights good enough to win the Division? Well, they got the best QB in the Division, so let’s see how it shakes out.9. Charter Oak (6-4) – For other teams being 6-4 and ranked ninth is a good season, but for the Chargers it’s a disappointment because they went 0-4 in the step-up games against Glendora, Rancho Cucamonga, Claremont and Chino Hills. They get South Hills, which is no step-up, but a must win for the playoffs.10. Diamond Ranch (5-4) — The Panthers shouldn’t worry too much about the West Covina blowout. They can reassert their swagger on Friday against Bonita.

Because of the Veterans Holiday, I just learned that Bassett is hosting Sierra Vista on Wedneday, joining La Puente, who is hosting Duarte Wednesday night too. We have three games scheduled Thursday and the rest Friday. If there are any other schools that have moved their games, please let us know, otherwise I will assume the rest of the schedule is correct.

Mid-Valley Division
1. Azusa (9-0), 2. Monrovia (7-2), 3. Arroyo (8-1), 4. Covina (9-1), 5. Whittier Christian (8-1), 6. Schurr (6-3), 7. San Dimas (5-4), 8. Cerritos Valley Christian (5-4), 9. Maranatha (7-3), 10. La Puente (7-2).Fred’s thoughts: I think our constant complaining moved the Colts up a spot. With this vote Covina should get the No. 4 seed with Azusa No. 1, meaning they could meet in a semifinal with Monrovia and Arroyo possibly squared off on the other side if this is how it unfolds at Sunday’s pairings. However, with San Dimas, Maranatha, Whittier Christian, Rosemead and Baldwin park lurking, expect some upsets.Southeast Division
1. West Covina (8-1), 2. La Serna (8-1), 3. La Mirada (6-3), 4. Bonita (8-1), 5. Mayfair (6-4), 6. Diamond Ranch (5-4), 7. Arcadia (6-3), 8. Burroughs (5-4), 9. Burbank (7-2), 10. Muir (5-4).Fred’s thoughts: Diamond Ranch has a great chance to earn a top four seed with a win over Bonita, while the Bearcats would secure a top four seed with a win. When the pairings are released, I love Walnut and Diamond Bar as sleepers depending on who they get.Inland Division
1. Corona Centennial (9-0), 2. Vista Murrieta (8-1), 3. Rancho Cucamonga (8-1), 4. Roosevelt (8-1), 5. Chino Hills (7-2), 6. Redlands East Valley (7-2), 7. Norco (7-2), 8. Upland (5-4), 9. A.B. Miller (5-4), 10. Claremont (7-2).Fred’s thoughts: The Wolfpack almost fell out of top ten after losing to South Hills. Whatever happens, I’m not expecting the Sierra League to be alive after the second round, and quite possibly all three teams could go out in the first round. Just too tough of a division.Pac-5 Division
1. Mission Viejo (9-0), 2. Servite (9-0), 3. Bishop Amat (9-0), 4. Alemany (9-0), 5. Long Beach Poly (7-2), 6. Lakewood (8-1), 7. Mater Dei (6-3), 8. Santa Margarita (7-2), 9. Edison (7-2), 10. Los Alamitos (7-2).Fred’s thoughts: Nothing changes except the winner of Amat-Alemany gets a No. 3 seed at best and gets a home game while the loser isn’t guaranteed a home game and could have a much, much tougher first round game. And for those wondering, word is Amat RB Zach Shay won’t be available on Friday.

In the past whenever we have players signing national letters of intent we try to send photographers to the school, but with a list this large it’s impossible to be everywhere. What I’ve done in recent years is invite the athletes to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune office to take a group picture that we can celebrate on the front page of sports on Thursday. This is the fairest way to satisfy everyone, so all athletes on the list below are invited here Wednesday at 2 p.m., for a group shot. I will call your coaches to notify them, but you can also email me if you have questions. Please wear something indicating your college of choice. If there are athletes signing that I missed, please email me at fred.robledo@sgvn.com so that you can be included.

The November 2009 signing class below

Those expected to sign national letters of intent on Wednesday, Nov. 10, the early signing period.

Steve and I will go head-to-head in Tribskin Pick’em throughout the season for our annual dinner bet. I lead the overall series, two years to one.Last Week: Robledo (15-3); Ramirez (16-2).Season: Robledo (153-46); Ramirez (148-51).

Last week: Steve picked up a game and is making a run. He’s gone 36-3 over the past two weeks but I have a five-game lead going into week ten. We both lost taking Claremont over South Hills and Wilson over Pomona, and Steve picked up one by taking Chino Hills when I took Charter Oak. Nice that we both called Covina over San Dimas, but this week it gets tougher.

This week: How close is Bishop Amat-Alemany? Calpreps is predicting a 28-27 Amat victory. Alemany has a huge advantage being at home, but I’m taking Amat because of the extra week to prepare, and when you compare Serra scores, Alemany’s offense is averaging 29 points while the Lancers are averaging 41, which could be 50 if the Lancers’ offense played fourth quarters. The Lancers’ defense played well against Notre Dame, but they did give up 28 to Crespi and 31 to Loyola, which is a concern, especially with the playoffs beginning next week, but I think the Lancers will do enough to squeak it about. South Hills and Charter Oak is a doozy, but on paper, Calpreps gives the Chargers a 14-point advantage. I don’t think it’s that much, but I like the Chargers at home, though they haven’t been able to win a big game this season. This is a big game, but it’s not a step-up game, so take C.O. You want a surprise? I’m taking Diamond Ranch over Bonita, reason being I’m taking the team that runs and uses the clock over the team that throws it all over the park. Diamond Ranch has the athletes to match-up even though Calpreps is making Bonita a 24-point favorite, which is way, way too much. Other interesting picks, Claremont bounces back and beats Damien to clinch the top-seed in the Sierra and taking El Monte to surprise Rosemead and finish second in the Mission Valley League.

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